


Fearlessly and Forever

by serohtonin



Series: Fabulous Old Married Couple [2]
Category: Glee
Genre: Anxiety, Bullying, Canon Compliant, Crack Crossover, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Hand Jobs, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Light Angst, M/M, Married Couple, Panic Attacks, Past Infidelity, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Rimming, Romance, Smut, Spanking, Young Newlyweds
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-04
Updated: 2016-08-20
Packaged: 2018-07-11 15:37:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 17,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7058605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/serohtonin/pseuds/serohtonin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is written for the Klaine Summer Challenge on tumblr, where there will be a one word prompt of a summer location each week until August 20. I'm following the same format as my Klaine Valentine's Day Challenge where I will post each ficlet as a new chapter within this story. Although they may not necessarily be in order, these chapters do all take place in the same verse along with the drabbles of the Valentine's Fic. <b>tl;dr:</b> Kurt and Blaine's life as a young married couple, aka the five years skipped over in canon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Inevitable

**Author's Note:**

> This week's prompt is park. I had an entirely different idea when I read it but then the following fic happened. Also If I screwed up anything that is supposed to be canon, let me know since I'm trying to comply with that as much as possible.  
> Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. I just like to play with them.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kurt and Blaine share a Sunday brunch with friends, prompting a recollection of their friends with benefits past and their decidedly more solid future.

There’s nearly a week straight of rain right after Blaine moves back to New York with Kurt, which they take full advantage of by christening nearly every surface of the apartment with sweaty promises and breathy expressions of love. They relax and savor their opportunity of finally being alone together without the risk of anyone walking in. 

But soon after that they have to join the outside world again so they decide to have brunch with Rachel and Jesse, who seem to be spending a lot of time together now that Rachel has returned to New York. Still they totally insist nothing romantic is going on between them. Kurt and Blaine shared a knowing glance since they had said the exact same thing shortly before they reunited and subsequently became engaged the first time around. The four have a great time catching up, Kurt and Blaine regaling Rachel with their troubles moving Blaine’s stuff back into the loft. Of course none of their friends in the city had offered to help that day and had suddenly become busy so they worked up a sweat and nearly sprained a few muscles, despite how fit Kurt thought he was from all those dance classes at NYADA.

“Guess I was more out of shape than I thought. I blame teaching in Lima for that.” Kurt groans.

Blaine frowns. “I haven't been keeping up an exercise regimen either for a long time so we both should have stretched or something.”

“We got a workout in after though.” Kurt winks and pats his husband’s thigh.

Rachel’s eyes shift over to Jesse, who grins slyly.

“Okay, so, um, about these vegan pancakes, they’re pretty delicious, huh?” Rachel remarks after stuffing her face and swallowing down some water.

Jesse laughs, his eyes filled with a fondness that Kurt recognizes from every time he catches Blaine staring at him absently. “I wouldn’t know, Rach. I didn’t order them, nor did these guys.”

“Right.” Rachel smiles nervously. “What else have you been up to, then? What are your plans for fall, Blaine?”

Blaine narrows his at Kurt and mouths _”Really?”_ , clearly confused that she would ask him about himself and not monopolize the conversation as usual.

Kurt simply shrugs and Blaine explains that he’s planning on taking a few courses at NYU while he still figures out what exactly his new path might be. 

Kurt tightly grins, still feeling a little responsible for how Blaine veered off course and away from performing, what Kurt had always thought Blaine was meant to do ever since they met. He knows Blaine had left it behind when he left Kurt and New York which had been Kurt’s fault. If he just communicated properly and didn’t let their relationship combust, maybe Blaine would be blossoming at NYADA and competing for roles along with his peers. They had talked about this when they first got back together and Blaine said he didn't blame him but Kurt still blames himself sometimes. In any case, Blaine told him he would make a choice eventually. They had all the time in the world in this city especially now that they had each other again.

Kurt watches Blaine light up as he discusses his music composition and developmental psychology courses until Rachel inevitability changes the subject and mentions her would-be triumphant return to Broadway. Of course she hasn’t gotten any callbacks for her recent auditions but she’s adamant that it will happen soon enough.

“Sure. If that’s what you want this week,” Kurt says skeptically before Blaine nudges his elbow. “I mean, I totally support your comeback. We all do.”

“Exactly, especially since we'll have another familiar face here now that everyone else has settled other places. I can't blame Artie for moving out to California to work on his film career,” Blaine comments after he eats the last bit of his omelette.

“Yeah, we’ll all get to see you more often, Rachel,” Jesse agrees.

“I, um, yeah, it'll be great,” Rachel replies, clearly flustered. “Well, it was great catching up but I should get going and do some vocal warmups. I have to take advantage of all this free time while I have it.”

“I can walk you out,” Jesse offers, pulling some money out of his pocket and leaving it on the table.

“This is for the bill. Thanks for the get together.”

“Jesse, you don’t have to--” Rachel starts.

“I do,” Jesse insists, interrupting her and setting a hand on her wrist. “Let’s go.”

“Alright.” Rachel blinks, momentarily in a trance. Then she turns her attention to Kurt and Blaine. “I’ll see you both later.”

“Okay.” Blaine smirks as he looks over at Kurt. “Have fun with that.”

Kurt blushes while he and Blaine utter their goodbyes to Rachel and Jesse.

Once they pay their bill, they walk hand in hand around Central Park, only a few short blocks from the restaurant.

“Do you remember our ‘just friends’ phase?” Blaine asks, strolling down the promenade scattered with tourists and citizens of the city alike.

“Hmm. Which one?”

“Funny.” Blaine chuckles wryly and squeezes Kurt’s hand. “The one when we met that cute lesbian couple and made out in your car after.”

“I do not recall the night in question, Mr. Anderson-Hummel.”

“It was another case of bros helping bros. Now do you remember?”

“Nope. Not at all,” Kurt lies, Blaine’s smug face that night instantly flashing in his memory. Kurt had just begun to thaw toward him after the heartbreak of infidelity and he got swept up in Blaine’s enthusiasm for the burgeoning legality of marriage equality. He had kissed him without thinking about the consequences of where it would lead. After that, their texts became increasingly flirty and they acted more like the couple they used to be. Eventually Kurt couldn’t deny that he would never be over Blaine no matter how hard he tried so he gave in to his own heart. It hadn’t all been easy ever since but he wouldn’t trade their time together for anything, especially now.

“Sure.” Blaine smiles at him. “I’ll pretend to believe you, just like I did then and just like I did with Rachel and Jesse today. I’m glad we found our way back to each other though after all that.”

Kurt echoes the sentiment. “Me too.”

“I love you so much.” Blaine swings their joined hands, Kurt’s wedding ring glinting in the sunlight.

“I love you too. Forever, Blaine.”

“Forever, Kurt.” He seals it with a kiss to their knuckles. 

After a brief lull of silence between them, Blaine wonders, “Do you think Rachel and Jesse are headed in the same direction?”

“I don’t know. We’ll see, I guess. It’s nice to see Rachel happy and back in her element.”

He studies Blaine’s profile, still as striking as ever, with his full cheeks and upturned mouth as he watches a bird play in the puddle in front of them.

“But she’s not the only one,” Kurt continues. 

Like Rachel, the future of Blaine’s career remains uncertain but unlike her, the future of his love is absolutely clear. Kurt knows that they’ll be parked by each other sides for every single moment. 


	2. Someday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a chance encounter with a stranger on the subway, Blaine aches to discuss the possibility of having kids with Kurt. He just hopes his husband will agree.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Kurt, Blaine, or any of the entities mentioned from Glee canon sadly. Otherwise there would be more stories like the one below.

After Kurt and Blaine have brunch with Jesse and Rachel and take a stroll through Central Park, the weather is still thankfully clear and sunny so they exit the park and decide to stay in Manhattan. With their hands linked together, they walk leisurely to the next subway stop, heading toward the Village to an ice cream shop that they frequented when they lived in the city together and happened to be in the area (after Blaine’s initial indulgence when he first moved to New York and the subsequent Great Juice Cleanse of 2014, they realized an occasional cheat day would benefit the both of them).

The subway is hot, sticky and crowded, not at all an escape from the early summer heat. They stand together, their hands no longer joined as they both grip the pole where Kurt’s pinkie finger nudges against Blaine’s. Blaine smiles at the small contact though Kurt can’t see. 

When the train jolts to life, Blaine’s attention draws to a baby wailing from her spot on a woman’s lap. 

“Shh,” she soothes, bouncing the child. “I know, I know. It’s too hot. We’ll be home soon.”

The baby continues to cry louder, the other passengers staring straight ahead or engaged in conversation with their travel companions, clearly too busy with their own lives to notice or care. The woman with the baby shakes a rattle in front of her daughter, who quiets for a second but then yells some more. Exasperatedly, the mother sighs and digs into a huge bag, searching for something as the infant groans on.

Blaine wiggles the fingers of his free hand, waving at the child and grinning at her. Then he puffs his cheeks and raises his eyebrows in an attempt to calm her down. He does it several more times and she giggles, the sound so beautiful and melodic it rivals any music he’s heard. Her face lights up and Blaine’s heart clenches with an unfamiliar type of affection.

The woman’s eyes widen in amazement when she looks at her baby and then up at Blaine. “Oh my God, how did you do that? She’s been crying all day.”

Blaine shrugs sheepishly. “I have the magic touch, I guess. Er, the magic funny face more likely.” He shows off his peculiar expression to the woman and the baby laughs again.

“Thank you. I’ll have to keep that in mind, dear baby whisperer,” the woman replies. 

Kurt chuckles low under his breath but his hand on the subway pole covers Blaine’s own as they stop. 

The woman throws her bag on her shoulder and stands up, adjusting the child in her grasp. “I’m so sorry if Sophia here disrupted you. It’s been a rough day.”

Blaine reaches his hand out to the baby, who clutches his pointer finger with her whole hand. “She wasn’t a problem at all. Nice to meet you, Sophia. We all get a little cranky sometimes, like my husband before he’s had his morning IV drip of coffee.”

“Hey, I’m right here,” Kurt chimes, squeezing Blaine’s hand.

Blaine glances quickly over at him. “Sorry, babe. You know it’s true.” Then he turns back to the woman. “I’m Blaine by the way. This is Kurt.”

Kurt waves in greeting as the train starts again and the woman grips a pole next to them. “Anna. I’d shake your hands but I’m a little occupied with this one.” She coos to her baby. “Gotta stay safe, huh?”

She grins as she looks toward her baby once more.

“Right,” Blaine answers absently, entranced by Sophia’s small fingers still tight around his own.

The car flies on and then when it stops again, Anna lets go of the pole and implores her daughter, “C’mon, Soph, you gotta let go of the nice man’s finger so we can go home.”

Anna pulls Sophia’s hand away and Blaine’s heart drops with a vague sense of loss.

“Bye, little one. Have a good day, sweetheart,” Blaine says, his voice instinctively raising.

“Maybe now we will. You too, and your husband as well,” Anna tells him with a smile before the doors open and she departs.

Blaine’s shoulders slump as he studies Kurt for the rest of their ride. They’ve discussed having children but never in a serious way and not since they’ve been husbands. When Blaine had moved to the city the first time around, they basked in the glow of their engagement but then quickly got caught up in the stress of wedding planning. Soon after that, simply living with each other had become a struggle until they fell apart and all conversation ceased. Thankfully they fell into each other’s lives again, reuniting happily in a whirlwind of sex, love and marriage. Of course they had a serious discussion about the mistakes they made and vowed to work on their problems, thus solidifying their relationship. But they had both focused on the health of their immediate future so they hadn’t brought up the when and how of children. It’s still too soon now, even in light of today.

They reach their stop and Kurt grips Blaine’s left hand when they depart onto the platform and walk up the steps.

Kurt taps Blaine’s hip with their clasped hands, bringing Blaine out of his thoughts. “Hey, what’s up, B?”

Blaine gives him a weak smile at the newly adopted nickname, something Kurt had tried out on their honeymoon which stuck ever since. 

“Oh, nothing. I’ll tell you later,” Blaine returns offhandedly while they walk the short distance to the ice cream parlor.

“I know you. It’s not nothing. I’ll let it slide for now but you’re not off the hook, Mister,” Kurt chides, opening the door to the shop.

They wait in line and Blaine silently contemplates whether or not he should tell Kurt exactly what he was thinking. Their relationship could probably handle it and he knows Kurt won’t snap at the first sign of a topic that troubles him like he tended to before. Maybe they could talk through it and figure out a tentative plan for someday. Blaine’s still holding Kurt’s hand and his heart soars once more as they approach the counter.

Kurt orders a chocolate and peanut butter swirl ice cream shake while Blaine gets a classic banana split with the works. They sit in a booth, giving Blaine a clear view of a young boy with his father occupying the booth next to theirs. Blaine laughs as he watches, the boy’s arms dripping with melting ice cream while the father frantically wipes at the mess.

“Okay, what’s got you this time?” Kurt asks with a quirk of his eyebrow after he sips at his milkshake.

Blaine looks down quickly and then his eyes flicker up at Kurt. “Do you ever think about what we’re going to do once we’re done with school?”

“Of course,” Kurt says confidently. “I would love to put my NYADA degree to good use on Broadway. I’m going to produce a musical where I originate a role and give more parts to people like me who are so blindly overlooked. Maybe we can work on it together. We haven’t really done anything like that since my ambitious production about Pippa Middleton that sadly never took off.”

“Sorry, I was too busy with my summer job at Cedar Point. Those shows don’t put themselves on.”

“You didn’t even sing that much. You became a ride attendant after the costume made you break out in hives.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me.” Blaine laments. “That didn’t stop me from singing the day away.”

“As I’m sure your fellow employees appreciated.”

“Hey, I bet they did.” Blaine preens. “Anyway, I meant what do you want to do after we prove ourselves in our careers? Do you want, um, do you want to have kids?”

“Yeah, sure, one day. I’m open to a discussion on that. We’ll have to look into all the specifics but yes.” Kurt beams at him. “You’ve always been good with kids. I saw it when we volunteered at the homeless shelter that Christmas back in high school and I saw it today. I want a life with you, Blaine. I want everything. That includes children.”

“Good.” Blaine grabs Kurt’s hand where it lies on the table top. “I’m glad we’re on the same page.”

“We’ll see about that. Depends on how many you want.” Kurt looks at him amusedly.

“I’m amenable to that as long as I have them with you.” Blaine smiles back at Kurt just as the parent and child get up to leave; he thinks that could be his future except with Kurt beside him. It certainly isn’t a bad image, swinging a child between them when they walk down the street. Until then, they’ll have these random glimpses of that through others and of course, they’ll have each other. 


	3. Competition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kurt and Blaine spend the day at Coney Island and make a friendly wager. But who will pay the price?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is written for the Klaine Summer Challenge, where there be a one word prompt of a summer location each week until August 20. I’m following the same format as my Klaine Valentine’s Day Challenge in that each ficlet takes place in that same verse, aka Kurt and Blaine’s life as a young married couple, or the five years that canon skipped. This week’s prompt is carnival or amusement park. You don’t have to read the previous installments to understand this but I’d appreciate it if you did.  
> Disclaimer: Of course I don’t own Kurt, Blaine, or the rights to Glee. Otherwise there would be more stories like the one below.

Kurt had returned to Lima for his class project, otherwise known as saving his high school glee club and his friend Rachel Berry from utter failure (he told himself that Blaine wasn’t a factor but of course, it reigned over everything). He didn’t realize then that he would not only win Blaine back but become his husband. He still can’t believe it even when he stares down at his ring finger. They enjoyed a long honeymoon and sometimes it feels like they’re still on it when Kurt realizes he gets to come home to not just someone warming his bed, but to the love of his life. However, they haven’t been able to spend much time together since Kurt started working long shifts at the diner for the summer. So when he asks Blaine to spend time with him on his rare day off, he expects that they probably won’t leave the apartment.

But after a persuasive blowjob and a promise to do the dishes for a week, Blaine tells him he has a plan and convinces him to get dressed. 

This is how Kurt finds himself on the boardwalk of Coney Island, a quirky area of Brooklyn filled with shops, games, rides, and lots of stands promising delicious carnival food. Blaine holds his hand as they stroll the area, spouting the history of the place and how he wishes he were here to help after the tragic hurricane destroyed half the businesses a few years ago. He is happy that a lot of rebuilding took place since then and that there are still rides to ride.

Kurt smiles. “I’m happy that we rebuilt our relationship, too, even if you are a dork.”

“Shut up. You love it.” Blaine chuckles.

“I love you.”

Blaine scrunches his nose. “I love you too.”

Kurt looks around for a second and realizes no one is paying them any attention so he kisses Blaine on the lips quickly. It’s worth watching Blaine’s eyes light up when he pulls away; it allows him to drag a distracted Blaine over to a stand where they order a slice of fried cheesecake on a stick. Blaine licks it so sinfully that it reminds him of their activities earlier that morning.

“I’d be jealous of that cheesecake if I didn’t know you so well,” Kurt teases before snatching the food from him.

Blaine blushes. “Hey, I didn’t even get to take a bite of it.”

“You forfeited the first bite when you decided to use it as unnecessary foreplay. You know that cheesecake is my weakness.” Kurt takes a big bite, much to Blaine’s chagrin and sprints down the walkway.

Blaine frowns and runs after him. “I’ll buy you a whole one from the bakery next to the apartment if I can have it back.”

Kurt stops and holds it out toward him. When Blaine catches up and leans toward him to bite down, he pulls it away and eats another piece. 

As soon as Kurt swallows, he laments. “Ugh. This would be so much better covered in chocolate.”

“You know you can get a whole one like that from the bakery.”

“Oh, yeah, you’re right. We can save it for our cheat day.” He thinks out loud before gazing out at the water. It’s a little choppy but the sun is shining and the sky is a clear blue, overall a beautiful day. Then he looks toward Blaine, whose mouth is full.

Blaine ducks his head and swallows. “What? I tried bribery and it didn’t work so I resorted to theft.”

“Ahh, a life of crime. It seems you’re no longer the dapper schoolboy you used to be.”

“This city has corrupted me, Kurt, with its cronuts and large, buttery pretzels. I like to live on the edge now.”

Kurt tilts his head and offers more cheesecake to Blaine, who gladly takes another huge bite.

“You’re adorable. You know that, right?” Kurt murmurs.

Blaine swallows and preens a bit. “I may have heard that from my husband a few times in the last year or so.”

“Well, your husband is a smart man.”

Blaine laughs and kisses Kurt’s nose. Then they trade bites of cheesecake until they finish and walk around for a bit, working off their food and taking in the families and couples enjoying the day along with them. Kurt begs Blaine to play a game where one squirts water at a target in order to propel a figurine toward the top of a tube faster than the other players. 

“C’mon, we can get something to join Margaret Thatcher Dog on the couch.”

“I have a better idea.” Blaine’s eyes narrow. “How about we compete for it? Winner chooses the prize. Loser has to rub the winner’s feet and scrub the bathtub.”

Kurt grimaces; the winner doesn’t get a huge reward but the loser gets a huge punishment. He doesn’t mind rubbing Blaine’s feet because he knows his husband enjoys it. However, he’d much rather avoid cleaning the tub since it’s been quite a long time that either of them have done it. He’ll need to win and although he’s not as skilled at games as Blaine is, he never backs down from a challenge.

“You’re on, B,” Kurt returns.

“‘Kay, let’s do this.”

They pay the attendant and when the game begins, Kurt squirts furiously at the target, not paying attention to Blaine next to him. Soon enough, the bell rings, signaling the end of the game. Kurt sighs as his figurine has barely reached the halfway point but Blaine cheers and jumps up and down next to him.

“Ha!” Blaine laughs. “Beat you fair and square, babe.”

“Damn it. I didn’t even want to play.” Kurt huffs and crosses his arms.

Once Blaine picks out his prize, a stuffed gray kitten, he holds it in Kurt’s face and raises his voice higher than usual, his words mocking and familiar. “I know what it does to you when I win.”

“Very funny. You get a cute kitten and a foot rub. I get to clean the tub.”

“Don’t worry,” Blaine whispers in his ear. “I’ll let you cuddle with me and Hillary Kitten.”

“Fine. That’s an even cuter pun than Margaret Thatcher Dog. I forgive you.” Kurt grins, softening a bit as Blaine kisses his cheek and then Hillary Kitten brushes against his nose.

“Good, because we love you and we want to ride the Ferris Wheel.”

“Fine. Why not?”

He lets Blaine drag him to the ride and sit in a seat while Blaine kindly informs him that this one is actually called the Wonder Wheel and it’s been in operation for nearly a century.

“I saw the sign too, Blaine,” Kurt says flatly.

“Aww,” he coos, facing the cat as if he’s talking to it. “Is Daddy still a sore loser? What’s that?” He holds the cat to his ear. “Oh, you’re right. It probably wasn’t fair. I did get a lot of practice at that game when I was a kid.”

Kurt chuckles despite himself. “Did they have it at Cedar Point? I can't remember.”

“No. Just at the carnivals I went to across Ohio. Cooper and I played every time he brought me to one. Guess my skills were still intact after all this time.”

“Huh. Then Hillary Kitten should be mine.”

Blaine pouts, snuggling the stuffed animal to his cheek. “We have a special bond, Kurt.”

“Joint custody?”

“Okay. Terms and conditions to be discussed.”

However after they finish riding the Wonder Wheel, Blaine still clutches her tightly with one hand while the other takes Kurt’s hand.

“Despite my crushing defeat at that Water War game, I’d say today was a pretty good day,” Kurt remarks, staring at his husband.

“Aren’t you glad I brought you here?” 

“Yes, as long as your kitten doesn’t get more attention than me.”

“Not a chance.” Blaine kisses their joined hands. “That chocolate covered cheesecake might though if I buy it.”

“I can’t blame you for that,” Kurt concedes as they walk back to the subway still hand in hand, thinking that there really couldn’t be a better way to end this day than going back home with his husband.

Maybe when they get there, he can snuggle Blaine better than Hillary Kitten. 


	4. Sing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blaine has performance anxiety and Kurt helps him out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is written for the Klaine Summer Challenge, where there be a one word prompt of a summer location each week until August 20. I’m following the same format as my Klaine Valentine’s Day Challenge in that each ficlet takes place in that same verse, aka Kurt and Blaine’s life as a young married couple, or the five years that canon skipped. This week’s prompt is outdoor sporting event. You don’t have to read the previous installments to understand this but I’d appreciate it if you did. Disclaimer: Of course I own nothing but this plot line and my loose interpretation of the prompt.

_“O’er the land of the free.”_ Blaine’s voice soars high on the last word, hitting the note perfectly as he propels to the last phrase. _“And the home of the brave.”_

Amidst the crowd’s deafening roar of applause, he looks up into the stands of the baseball stadium to see Kurt beaming at him proudly.

Then he trips, and one of the players is beside him instantly.

But he wakes up, not knowing if he fell and embarrassed himself in front of an entire crowd, which is one of his biggest fears when performing. It’s why he meticulously plots out every step of choreography when he can, even with Kurt and the way they naturally fall into step anyway. He guesses it comes from the days he spent with the Warblers, every move perfectly controlled. Though he became a coach and got to pass on what he learned to a new generation, it didn’t compare to nailing all the moves and having the crowd cheer him on when he performed well. It was such a rush and--oh God, he misses it.

He blinks in the darkness of the bedroom, adjusting to the pitch black enough to make out the shape of Kurt next to him. He smiles and scoots closer to his husband in the bed of their New York apartment, the loft that used to be inhabited by far too many people but is now only the two of them (Rachel recently moved back to the city after she restored the glee club but she’s been crashing with Jesse). The last time he had performed was with Kurt at their impromptu wedding. It was so magical because in addition to singing with Kurt again, Blaine kept glancing down at both his and Kurt’s ring fingers to make sure they were actually married. He was also amazed because he was performing again without the aid of alcohol and without the tension of falling for Kurt once more, like their duet at Rachel’s childhood home before it went up for sale. They were together permanently, as they always should have been; with the microphone clutched in his hand and Kurt beside him, he truly felt like he had come home.

He supposes that’s what the dream had been trying to tell him, that performing is what he truly desires, whether Kurt is alongside him or watching in the audience. But he starts school again in a couple of months and only one class involves performing music while the others are based around education and the courses needed to ultimately get a degree in teaching music. He thought that was what he wanted after working at his old school but now he might want to sing again, for a crowd of people and not just for students. However he probably isn’t going to start with singing the national anthem at a baseball game. Maybe someday though. 

He drifts back to sleep but later wakes up, his heart soaring with the urge to sing as he turns on the shower. He sings a few scales to warm up his voice, the sound strange to his own ears after hardly practicing by himself for months. Then he tries out the national anthem, inspired by his dream:

 _“Oh, say can you see by the dawn’s early light?”_

His voice cracks on the last word so he coughs and tries again, only to meet the same outcome. Then he tries once more and somehow, he’s not even in the right key. He huffs, shampooing his hair and stepping under the stream of water to rinse. He massages his scalp clean a little rougher than usual, wondering what’s wrong with his voice. Maybe if he-- 

The curtain swings open, his musings temporarily left behind. Blaine jumps, turning around to find his husband wearing nothing but a smirk.

“Trying for the bass version? I always figured you’d stick with the classic key.”

“Jesus, Kurt, you scared me.”

“Sorry, I could go.”

“No, don’t.” Blaine grins. “That was just a little unexpected. You know I could never refuse you naked. Besides, the water is going to get cold soon. We might as well both shower.”

Blaine offers his hand to help Kurt into the tub and he takes it.

“Right, the old saving water excuse. That’s exactly why I wanted to join you.” Kurt laughs as he steps in and then gives Blaine a quick kiss.

“I’m onto your game, Hummel.” Blaine kisses him again, his body melting into it and almost forgetting his earlier vocal problems. But he frowns when they break apart, still stuck on how he could fix his performance.

Kurt curls his hands around Blaine’s waist, his thumbs soothing over Blaine’s hips. “Honey, what’s wrong? You were great. They key change was fine. Odd choice of song but I guess we can talk about that later. Hand me the body wash?”

Blaine does, ogling up and down his husband’s body, which has only improved within the last year: toned abs that aren’t too overworked but enough to have definition and bigger biceps that can easily lift him and pin him down when he wants, like a few days ago. Arousal stirs in him as he remembers while watching Kurt wash up. But of course his perfectionist brain nags at him with his vocal problem. What if he tries to perform again and fails?

Kurt must sense Blaine’s inner conflict because after he moves under the spray to rinse off, he steps closer. Then he faces Blaine, his voice soft in his husband’s ear. “Relax.”

Kurt squeezes the body wash into his palm and lathers it up, moving his hands in small circles across Blaine’s chest. Blaine breathes out as Kurt continues over his shoulders and then down his arms. He kisses the corner of Blaine’s mouth. 

“You’re okay,” Kurt reassures. “Whatever it is, you’re okay. I’m here for you.”

Kurt bends down again for a second to get more body wash and then he kneels and smiles up at Blaine. His lips brush the top of Blaine’s thigh but not in an attempt to start anything. Kurt simply runs his soapy hands down Blaine’s legs, all the way to his feet, avoiding any other areas until he comes back up, smoothing over the muscles of Blaine’s ass and then his cock. Regrettably, he only lingers long enough to clean Blaine off. Blaine groans as Kurt gets up, and pushes Blaine underneath the spray. 

Blaine turns toward the water, breathes out and rinses off while Kurt rubs at the stubborn knots in Blaine’s shoulders and neck. Maybe this will help him deliver the notes better or at the very least distract him. As the suds drip off of him and rinse down the drain, he leans back into the touch, his lower half instinctively seeking out Kurt’s. But Kurt spins him around so Blaine’s other side can get clean.

Kurt squeezes at the top of Blaine’s shoulders again and leans down to kiss him. “I love you,” he murmurs against Blaine’s lips before reaching for the conditioner. Kurt found this amazing one recently that works well with his curly hair and smells delicious. He’s thankful and moans his appreciation when Kurt gently works the product through his hair. Kurt washes it out too, making sure Blaine’s scalp is clean.

Blaine returns the favor by washing Kurt’s hair, glad to do something for him after all Kurt has just done. Blaine shuts the water off and wraps his arms tightly around his husband’s waist.

“Thank you,” Blaine mumbles into Kurt’s shoulder. “I love you so much.”

Kurt rubs at the middle of Blaine’s back. “Love you too. Your voice is beautiful, you know.”

Blaine tenses in Kurt’s arms. “I--I want to sing again, eventually. Maybe professionally.”

“Ahh, so is that what the scales and the ‘Star Spangled Banner’ was about?”

Blaine pulls back to look at Kurt and nods. “I thought I wanted to teach, but yeah. Now I’ll have to change my class schedule or transfer departments or--”

Kurt presses his pointer finger to Blaine’s lips to shush him. “You’ll figure it out. You always do. And like I said, I’m right here with you, B.”

Blaine’s heart swells with so much affection for his husband that he feels like he might burst. He’s so lucky that he has Kurt to support him through each and every decision and that they can grow together in life. Blaine kisses Kurt’s finger that’s against his lips and Kurt snatches it away.

Kurt chuckles. “Ugh, that tickles.”

“Good.” Blaine squeezes Kurt’s hand, the one with his wedding ring on it. “Let’s dry off and I’ll tell you all about my inspired song choice.”

He’ll have to think about how to get back to performing again but for now, he’ll enjoy cuddling with his husband and sharing his dream.


	5. Fireworks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blaine has an idea to beat the heat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is written for the Klaine Summer Challenge, where there be a one word prompt of a summer location each week until August 20. I’m following the same format as my Klaine Valentine’s Day Challenge in that each ficlet takes place in that same verse, aka Kurt and Blaine’s life as a young married couple, or the five years that canon skipped. This week’s prompt is fireworks. You don’t have to read the previous installments to understand this but I’d appreciate it if you did. Disclaimer: Of course I don't own any of these characters. I just enjoy making up stories about them.

Kurt sighs, laying naked on his stomach across the bed. Blaine kisses the top of his sweaty shoulder but Kurt weakly smacks his bicep.

“Ugh, too hot.” Kurt groans. “I’m not naked for you. Not right now anyway.”

They don’t have air conditioning in their old New York loft and on this early July day, it’s absolute torture. The shades are drawn so the heat doesn’t shine through, but all the windows are open as far as they can go. After morning sex and a quick shower, they didn’t bother dressing and lightly towel dried off. Since they had nowhere important to go for once, they relaxed on top of the fitted sheet, folding down the rest of the bedcovers.

Blaine laughs against his skin. “I know. I was thinking that maybe I could distract you though. I mean, since we’re both naked and all. It’d be kind of a waste not to take advantage of that.”

Blaine’s lips brush against a shoulder blade. Then Blaine crawls over him and straddles just below Kurt’s ass. There’s a featherlight touch of fingertips along Kurt’s spine followed by Blaine’s mouth taking the same route.

Kurt squirms when Blaine stops right before he reaches the crack of his ass. Blaine’s body weight is heavy on his legs and the sweat on his thighs sticks against Kurt’s own. It would be uncomfortable if Kurt’s cock weren’t stirring with want.

“C’mon,” Kurt urged, too lethargic to say much else.

“‘C’mon,’ as in you want me to stop or ‘c’mon,’ as in keep going?” 

“Keep going, babe. Please.”

“I thought it was too hot,” Blaine teases, his hands curving around Kurt’s ass.

“You offered the distraction so I’m taking it.”

Blaine smacks the skin the way Kurt sometimes likes, causing Kurt to let out a small moan.

“Fair enough,” Blaine concedes, scooting down Kurt’s legs. “But I’m gonna need you to, um, lift up a little.”

Kurt wordlessly pushes his ass up into the air with as much effort as he can muster.

“Beautiful,” Blaine murmurs, sliding down even more. Then his lips land at the base of Kurt’s spine. He kisses over the curve of his left cheek until he reaches the sensitive skin of his inner thigh, so close to his balls.

Kurt arches into it, trying to get him closer to his asshole.

“I know, baby. Let me enjoy the view a bit longer,” Blaine says between kisses along the back of Kurt’s thigh. Then he kisses the other thigh and works his way back up the other cheek. He grazes over Kurt’s balls with his mouth before his tongue finally darts out for a second. He sucks hard at Kurt’s asshole, making Kurt cry out.

“Oh, oh, fuck, Blaine.” He grabs at his own dick, his hand sweaty but not slick enough. 

Luckily Blaine’s spit drips down his balls, his mouth pressing more firmly and his tongue swirling around his hole. He strokes himself a little more, using the spit as makeshift lube, even if it’s still not that effective. He doesn’t care since Blaine’s mouth is usually enough.

“Unhh, baby, yeah,” Kurt encourages, thrusting back against Blaine’s movements. 

Blaine pulls his cheeks apart with his thumbs, burying his face even deeper, his nose hitting the top of Kurt’s ass.

“Mmm, yes, yeah. Don’t--don’t stop,” Kurt moans, his hand stilling as he rocks back against Blaine, who keeps sucking harder and harder. Then he spanks one cheek of Kurt’s ass and it sends Kurt over the edge, spilling all over the bed. His thighs shake with the effort to stay up but he collapses into the mess anyway.

Blaine kisses at his hole and nuzzles up the crack, his lips tracing a path up Kurt’s back before he lies on top of him. Kurt relaxes and closes his eyes as Blaine kisses his cheek.

“Was that a good enough distraction, hon?” Blaine whispers in his ear.

“Uh huh,” Kurt affirms. “Still too hot to be on top of me, B.”

Blaine rolls his hips down, his erection prominent against Kurt’s ass. “You’re too hot.”

Kurt’s oversensitive cock twitches though he can’t quite get hard yet. “Please. You don’t have to flatter me.”

Kurt pushes him off so Blaine is flat on his back. Then he reaches in the nightstand for the lube and turns toward him once more.

Blaine beams at him. “Oh, I know. I wanted to. You’re gorgeous and you’re all mine. I like to remind myself sometimes.”

Kurt swallows and smiles back, amazed that this man, his husband, can be so dirty and then so sweet only moments later. He affectionately brushes a stray curl from Blaine’s forehead. “Well, sweetheart, let me remind you how gorgeous you are too.”

He squeezes the lube into his hand and jerks Blaine rough and quick until he curses and grunts out Kurt’s name. He works him over, even as Blaine softens, stroking him through the aftershocks.

Blaine’s eyes shut, his long eyelashes fluttering against his cheeks as his hands find Kurt’s hips. “Love you.”

“Love you too.” Kurt kisses his mouth before wiping his dirty hand on the sheets with a grimace. “Guess we’ll need another shower once I feel like moving.”

“We might have to anyway.” Blaine smirks and his eyes flicker open. “I was thinking we could have a picnic on the roof of the building tonight. We’ll be able to see the fireworks from there, but, uh, I think we made enough fireworks of our own.”

Kurt rolls his eyes but takes Blaine’s hand and kisses his wedding ring. “You’re probably right, you cheese ball. Real fireworks will be nice anyway and food sounds delightful.”

Kurt carefully avoids the wet spot as he gets up from the bed and drags Blaine with him. They clean off in the shower and kiss some more before changing into their lightest clothing. While Blaine packs a basket with cheese, crackers, strawberries and wine, Kurt grabs a blanket that he doesn’t mind laying on the dirty concrete of the roof. They head up there a little after sunset, snacking on their food and finishing half the bottle as they wait.

“You remember that carnival we went to back in Lima?” Blaine comments, swirling the dregs of alcohol in his glass. “The first summer we started dating?”

“Of course,” Kurt answers after he sips his own wine. “I was so scared just being there with you. But as the fireworks went off and everyone was distracted, you took my hand. I felt like I couldn’t breathe at first but you squeezed my hand and told me to relax. Then you smiled at me and I--I wanted to kiss you so bad.”

Blaine looks at him, those beautiful hazel eyes shining brightly in the city lights. “I wanted to kiss you too. I wanted everything, even then.”

“Well, now we have it.” Kurt assures, covering his free hand over Blaine’s where it rests between them.

“We do.”

Blaine leans in and kisses him sweetly then. Kurt puts down his wine glass and cups Blaine’s jaw, the stubble a reminder of how much they’ve grown since that first summer. Blaine deepens the kiss, sliding closer to him. Kurt sucks on his top lip and then his bottom one, knowing how it drives Blaine crazy. Blaine retaliates by pulling back for a second before he nips at Kurt’s top lip playfully and kisses him properly once more.

A loud _pop_ echoes out and Kurt figures it’s probably from somewhere on the street, so he ignores it and keeps kissing his husband. But then it sounds again and Blaine rests his forehead against Kurt’s own.

“I think the fireworks are starting,” Blaine comments quietly. “Look.”

Kurt glances over, the sky alight with blue and green. He can still feel Blaine’s gaze on him.

“What about following your own advice, Blaine?” Kurt jokes.

“I don’t want to.” Blaine kisses his cheek. “Because I already have the best view.”

Kurt looked back at him and had to agree. Still they watched the fireworks from their private spot, Blaine’s head on Kurt’s shoulder. With the summer heat and firework smoke surrounding them, Kurt no longer felt his annoyance from earlier or his teenage nerves from long ago. Instead, his heart is filled with nothing but contentment and love for the man next to him.

With any luck, Kurt hopes to create more sparks of his own with Blaine later that night and for the rest of their lives. 


	6. Heaven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s too hot in the city once again and Blaine has a suggestion to escape it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is written for the Klaine Summer Challenge, where there be a one word prompt of a summer location each week until August 20. I’m following the same format as my Klaine Valentine’s Day Challenge in that each ficlet takes place in that same verse, aka Kurt and Blaine’s life as a young married couple, or the five years that canon skipped. This week’s prompt is pool. This installment takes place shortly after the [previous one.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7058605/chapters/16716607) You don't have to read it to understand this but I’d appreciate it if you did. Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any of the characters. I just like to celebrate them through these silly plots.

It was going to be the third day in a row of air temperatures soaring to the nineties, an official heat wave. Still, Blaine went through the routine of making breakfast, albeit with far less clothing on than he would in cooler months. He wore only boxers and an apron as he cooked eggs, bacon and toast and waited for the coffee to brew. Kurt was still asleep in bed, leaving Blaine to wonder how they’d escape the stifling heat of their apartment today. 

The alone time they shared before the fireworks display a few days ago was spectacular but it resulted in needing a second shower, so sex was an option he immediately but sadly nixed. They could go shopping and cool down in the central air of the store, but they would only end up spending more money that they didn't have. Except Blaine realizes that they have some funds left over from what they received as wedding gifts. However, instead of shopping and buying yet another antique armchair that wouldn’t fit in their living room, Blaine has another idea.

Then he hears footsteps slowly approach before he can finish his thought. Soon enough, arms wrap around his waist and lips press to his neck. 

Blaine stands at the stove tending to the bacon, only turning to kiss his husband briefly on the lips. “You always wake up and ruin my surprise. It’s supposed to be breakfast in bed.”

“It’s not a surprise when you do it at least twice a week, honey.” Kurt laughs. “But it smells delicious. So does the coffee.”

“It’s nearly ready. I think you can pour a cup soon.”

“Ugh, I love you. I think you deserve one too.”

"Thanks, babe. Love you too.” Blaine groans as he flips the bacon, Kurt’s bare chest sticking to his back with sweat. “You can check on the toast on your way there.”

Kurt pulls away and turns his head toward Blaine. “Sure, but, um, what’s wrong? Did you get grease in your eyes again?”

“No, it’s just too damn hot in this apartment. I can’t even be close to you without breaking a sweat.”

“I know. It’s terrible, isn’t it?” Kurt remarks as he shuffles over to the toaster and grabs two plates. “It’ll be over in another few days.”

“A few days?” Blaine exclaims, shutting off the bacon and turning his attention to the pan of scrambled eggs. “I don’t know how much more I can take, which is why I have a proposal for you.”

Kurt jumps adorably when the toast pops before he faces Blaine once more. “What are you suggesting, Mr. Anderson-Hummel?”

He stirs up the eggs and then closes the short distance between them, wooden spoon still in his hand. “Well, I was thinking we could use some of our wedding gift money that we didn’t spend on the honeymoon and splurge on a hotel room here in the city for a night or two. A fancy one, with air conditioning and perhaps a pool even.”

Kurt considers it for a moment, his eyes lighting up when he finally agrees. “That sounds like a fantastic idea. I knew I married you for a reason.”

Blaine smiles and carefully hugs Kurt’s middle, unable to resist touching him. “So you’re going to keep me around?”

“Yeah I think so, as long as you don’t poke me in the back with that spoon,” he warns before kissing Blaine’s temple.

“I promise.” Blaine blinks against the sensation but quickly breaks away. “We’ll look for something as soon as we’re done with breakfast. Then maybe I’ll actually get to touch you the way I want.”

Kurt looks at him, his crystal blue eyes darkening. “And we can break a sweat in a good way.”

“Yeah. A very good way.”

\----

After scouring the Internet for a hotel in Manhattan that actually has a pool, they agree on one in midtown that’s decently priced. They immediately book it after finding out that it has a spa, a rooftop bar, and a room with a king size bed. The pool is outdoors but at least they’ll be inside with cool air for a few hours before they go swimming.

They pack their swimsuits, pajamas, a change of clothes and their many toiletries before they make the trek over there on the subway, one last heat-soaked, smelly place to endure on the way to the freedom of central air. Well, after they walk a couple of blocks in the mid-afternoon sun to the hotel.

Then they happily check in and open the door to their room. The bedding is a stark white with a thick black accent at the end, a small black throw pillow, and a black frame. The floors are dark, too, along with one feature wall and the curtains. The other walls are white and there’s enough space in the room for a chaise lounge. It doesn’t feel too cramped either, suitable for the two of them to move about comfortably. When Blaine researched it online, he figured it might be a bit modern for Kurt’s taste. However he approved it then and he only confirms the choice now.

“Blaine, this is gorgeous,” Kurt declares as he looks around. “The pictures online don’t even do it justice.”

“I know, right? And we haven’t even seen the bathroom or the spa yet.”

After Kurt sets his bag down on the bed, he enters the bathroom with a gasp. “Oh, my God.”

Blaine puts his overnight bag down beside Kurt’s. Then when he catches up to him, he puts his hands on Kurt’s shoulders and peeks over him. “What?”

There’s a large white soaker tub on one side of the room and a double vanity with a huge mirror on the other. 

“We have officially escaped the hell of summer in the city. And I don’t know about any afterlife, but I think this might be heaven, B,” Kurt says from in front of him. “Can we live here?”

“Glad you like it.” Blaine chuckles and kisses Kurt’s cheek. “Maybe when we’re famous Broadway stars or something, we can get a standing reservation any time we want.”

“Sounds good to me.” Kurt turns around and grins at him before he tosses his shirt onto the floor. “Screw the pool. How about we enjoy that tub?”

Blaine watches Kurt strip out of his clothes, momentarily mesmerized by his attractive husband. No matter how many times he’s seen Kurt naked, he’s always slightly in awe that he’s the one who’s allowed this privilege for the rest of his life. He’s a lucky man and he won’t ever take that for granted again.

“What are you waiting for, slowpoke?” Kurt asks, breaking Blaine’s musings as he bends over the tub to turn on the water. 

Blaine laughs and takes his clothes off, too. “Forgive me for being a bit distracted, Mr. Hummel-Anderson. I have a hot, naked husband in front of me.”

Kurt raises his eyebrows and surveys Blaine. “Me too.”

They press their bodies together and share a deep, passionate kiss as the water fills up, lost in each other and glad for the lack of oppressive heat surrounding them.

Kurt rests his forehead against Blaine’s once they part. “You know, Blaine, I always figured that cash was a thoughtless, tacky gift for a newly married couple but I’m so thankful for it right now. It’s better than an extra blender, that’s for sure.”

“Indeed,” Blaine agrees.

Kurt shuts the water off just in time as it nears the top of the tub. Then he takes Blaine’s hand and they step in, Kurt settling his back against Blaine’s chest.

“Mmm, this is nice,” Kurt remarks as Blaine’s eyes drift shut. “Thank you so much for the suggestion.”

“Thanks for agreeing to it,” Blaine replies, his fingers tangling with Kurt’s own.

With his husband comfortably in his arms and no longer worried about feeling sweaty and gross, a wave of contentment washes over Blaine. He thinks back to before the fireworks show when the heat between them exploded so beautifully, despite the heat outside. Then he realizes the summer temperatures don’t really matter as long as he’s with Kurt. However, the occasional nice bath doesn’t hurt either. 


	7. Celebrity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blaine wonders about his future and somehow finds his doppelgänger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Of course I own nothing but this silly plot. It's a bit cracky this week in that it breaks the fourth wall but it's still pretty much canon compliant. Three guesses as to who the celebrity is. ;)

“Do you have the tickets?” Kurt calls nervously, combing his hair in front of their bedroom mirror.

Blaine is on the floor in the living room, rolling up the blanket they’re going to sit on in when they go to a concert in Central Park. 

“Yeah, they’re on the kitchen table, babe,” Blaine answers. “Relax. I won’t forget them. I’m fixing the basket right now.” 

Blaine gets up, dusts himself off, and washes his hands. Then he takes out the picnic basket and searches the refrigerator for items to pack the basket with.

“Wait!” Kurt interrupts, rushing into the kitchen. “They’re not going to let us bring that stuff into the concert area. They want to gouge us at the vendors, remember?”

Blaine chuckles. “Right, and also, they want to make sure we’re not hiding anything in the water bottles. When did you become such a cheapskate?”

Kurt walks up behind him and hugs his middle. “Since forever. I prefer the term bargain hunter.”

“True. I’ve been to flea markets and estate sales with you. You do know how to spot some good deals.”

“I do.” Kurt spins Blaine around to look at him. “I believe I caught the best one right here.”

Blaine blinks and blushes bashfully. “I respectfully disagree. I think I caught the best one.”

Kurt smirks at him and shrugs. “You’re probably right.”

Blaine can’t help pecking him on the lips then. “Love you, Mr. Hummel-Anderson.”

“I love you, too, Mr. Anderson-Hummel.”

“No picnic basket, though?” Blaine frowns.

Kurt kisses it away and tells him, “No, honey. Just the blanket and the tickets.”

“Damn. I was hoping we could finish that bottle of wine left over from a couple of weeks ago.”

“We could always do that later, along with some other things.” Kurt winks and kisses the corner of his mouth.

“Sounds like a wonderful idea.”

With the promise of an entertaining night out ahead, and possibly an even better night in once they returned home, Blaine suddenly doesn’t care about the wine or the food, and he can’t wait for their date to begin.

\----

They ride the subway to Manhattan, blanket and tickets in tow. They’re early enough to lay their blanket down near the front of the crowd and right in front of the stage.

“You think we’ll be up on a stage like that one day?” Blaine asks, beaming.

“Not unless Broadway stars get to do concerts like this.” Kurt sits down and gestures to where the crew is setting up the equipment. “It’s kind of a niche market, Blaine. I don’t know.”

Blaine sits down too. “It could happen. I think there will be a few chances if we make it big. They do charity events, especially in the spring and summer months. Plus I read online that there’s going to be this big all-day concert down on one of the piers in September. There’s supposed to be a bunch of Broadway stars performing. It sounds amazing. I wish I thought of it.” He sighs, adjusting the blanket on the ground.

“Maybe if you were already famous, you might have been able to pull it off,” Kurt teases. “You need money and connections for that sort of thing.” 

“Yeah, I know. Still, it was kind of genius. Like the guy who came up with it stole it from my brain.”

Kurt pats Blaine’s shoulder. “I’m sure you or I will come up with something even better. Or we could headline the show one day if it becomes an annual event.”

“I hope so. That’s the plan, supposedly,” Blaine tells him. “Ooh, it’s outdoors, too! We should buy tickets for that. If we save up, we can get the ones where we meet the celebrity talent. The creator of it is kind of dreamy. Let me find a picture.”

“Dreamy, huh? Should I be jealous?” Kurt jokes while Blaine pulls up the web browser on his phone and searches his history.

“No. There’s nothing wrong with a little crush on a famous person, is there?” Blaine wonders in return and finds the news article announcing the show, along with the man’s picture. “As long as you don’t judge me.”

He shows Kurt, who stares at the picture and then back at Blaine for several long moments. 

“Oh my God!” Kurt exclaims. “The resemblance is uncanny. He’s like a scruffier, slightly older version of you. You know, if you didn’t shave for a month or gel your hair to oblivion.”

Blaine crosses his arms and huffs, almost snatching his phone away. “Well, then, maybe I should be the jealous one.”

“Don’t be silly. You’re gorgeous, sweetheart,” Kurt assures him and plays with one of Blaine’s curls that had sprung free because of the heat (Blaine isn’t as obsessive as he used to be about gelling his hair but he still does it too often for Kurt’s liking).

“Your style is all you and it’s perfect,” Kurt continues. “But I wouldn’t mind getting to run my fingers through your hair. Plus I know how much you like it.”

Blaine thinks of when he’s curled up on the couch with his head against Kurt’s chest after a bath or shower and his hair is gel-free. He groans as he remembers the comforting sensation.

“You’re right, Kurt. That’s the only styling advice I’d take from this guy, though, if that.”

“Hmm, less maintenance could be something to consider now that the weather is hotter.” Kurt laughs and narrows his eyes, searching Blaine’s face.

“What?”

“You’re a bit conceited to be crushing on this guy, even if he is super hot.”

“Hey, you said no judging!” Blaine says, closing his phone browser.

“I’m sorry, honey.” Kurt kisses his cheek. “But you have to admit it’s true.”

“Alright. Fine,” Blaine admits. “He might be some weird, alternate universe version of me. It could be strange but we could at least see if he’s as talented as I am. I mean, he’s ahead of me. He already has Broadway credits on his résumé.”

“And you will too, one day. Why not go? Maybe we can get some advice,” Kurt reasons. “Start saving your money for those tickets.”

“I will! That’s a great idea.” Blaine opens his phone again and bookmarks the article so he can buy tickets later. 

“Future afternoon date.” Kurt smiles and pats Blaine on the knee. 

“Thanks, dear.” 

“You’re welcome. I’m sure it’ll be just as much fun for me as it for you.” He gives Blaine a quick kiss on the cheek before he gets up off the ground. “I’m going to get us some food before the show starts. What would you like?”

“Ooh, pizza and frozen lemonade sounds really good.”

“It’s date night. We can do that.” 

With that, Kurt struts away to the vendor area and Blaine can’t help checking out his ass. He may have a crush on a celebrity Broadway star and he may even see him play a show one day, but Kurt is his man and he loves him.

He’ll show him how much when he gets home, but for now, he’ll enjoy this concert and hopefully, the next one.


	8. Tradition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blaine and Kurt go for a ride through the past and plan for the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is written for the Klaine Summer Challenge, where there be a one word prompt of a summer location each week until August 20. I’m following the same format as my Klaine Valentine’s Day Challenge in that each ficlet takes place in that same verse, aka Kurt and Blaine’s life as a young married couple, or the five years that canon skipped. This week’s prompt is hiking or biking. You don’t have to read the previous installments to understand this but I’d appreciate it if you did.  
> Disclaimer: Of course I don’t own Kurt, Blaine, or the rights to Glee.

“C’mon, Kurt! We only have half an hour and then they’ll charge us extra!” Blaine reminds him.

“Ugh, I know.” Kurt groans. “I’m trying to enjoy the view.”

Blaine’s sitting on a bicycle in front of Kurt, who has his own. They bought passes from one of several stations in the city after deciding that they would enjoy a ride through the streets of Manhattan. They could always return the bikes at any other station and get a new bike so they wouldn’t have to pay more money. Blaine knows where one is from here, since he looked it up before they left. But Kurt’s right. They stop with the traffic on the corner of 40th and 5th, near a very familiar location.

Blaine can’t exactly complain anymore. They’re at the entrance to Bryant Park, where Blaine surprised him the year they had broken up the first time. His eyes widen at how green and alive it looks in the summer time, compared to when it was icy that Christmas. His relationship with Kurt was much the same then, although he had to started to thaw around Thanksgiving, a few weeks before that. Still, it was crazy and impulsive to fly to New York, like Burt had asked him to, when he wasn’t sure how welcome he’d be. His heart longed for Kurt and if this was going to speed up mending what was broken, he would do it. 

Plus, it wasn’t all selfish. He had been checking up on Burt since he got sick and if Burt wanted him to see Kurt, he wasn’t about to deny that request. Blaine had gotten lucky that year because Kurt greeted him with a bright smile and a tight hug. It was a brief respite from the drought of lacking Kurt’s touch for so long. But then they had also sung together and eventually, Burt got healthy and so did Blaine’s relationship with Kurt. Blaine remembers he should probably call his father-in-law and thank him for the last-minute idea.

Then the light changes to green and drivers honk at him to go, breaking him out of his thoughts. He rides into the park, Kurt following him. Kurt catches up and rides beside him.

“It is a pretty great view,” Blaine agrees, smiling as he glances over at Kurt. “I’m surprised you’d be fond of it.”

“Why not? I loved ice skating with you, even though I fell a million times. It helped that you were there to pick me up.”

“I’m glad you let me. I just wanted to keep holding your hand but I didn’t think you’d be okay with that,” Blaine says as they pedal onto the bike path.

“I would have but I probably would have been angry at myself for enjoying it.” Kurt laughs. “Anyway, we should go back to the skating rink again in the winter. It would be a nice tradition.”

“Maybe we can sing another song and get hot cocoa after. Then we can decorate the tree and sing some more songs. We can add to the tradition.”

Kurt considers it and grins at him. “That’s something to think about. We do need to make more traditions now that we’re married.”

“Hey, you don’t say.” Blaine smirks. “Guess you’re stuck with me now.”

“I could do worse,” Kurt comments as they speed past the area where the rink sits, now closed for the season.

“What a compliment, babe.”

“I try.” Kurt stick his tongue out.

“Real mature.”

Kurt pedals past him and mouths, _“Love you.”_

Blaine shakes his head but mouths, _“I love you too.”_

They ride in a circle around the park before they exit back onto the street. Then they ride one more block and pause at the curb.

“Hey, Kurt?” Blaine asks, pressing the walk sign so they can cross the street and drop the bikes off at the station.

“What, honey?”

“Do you want this to be another tradition? Riding bikes in the park during the spring and summer and skating there in the winter?”

“Hmm. Sounds good. How about we aim for biking on the first day of spring and the first day of summer, and then skating the first day of winter and on the night we decorate our tree? Let’s save December first for tree trimming, perhaps.”

“That’s a wonderful idea.” Blaine beams at him and then pecks him on the mouth before they cross the street. 

“Thanks, B.” Kurt blinks and blushes for a moment. “Of course we can do those things on other days throughout the season but it’ll be nice to have a couple of set dates as well.”

“I completely agree. If we can’t make it back to Ohio, we can go skating on Christmas or Christmas Eve, too. Christmas has always been special to us.”

“True, and it always will be,” Kurt replies when they reach the docking station. “Even when we weren’t together, we found a way to celebrate it, like in Bryant Park.”

Blaine clicks his bike back into a station. “Yeah, thanks to your dad.”

“Well, that time, yes.” Kurt returns his bike to the station next to Blaine’s. “The magic started back at Dalton, if I remember correctly.”

Blaine grabs Kurt’s hand and walks down the street. “Yeah, when you were too shy to kiss me.”

“You weren’t exactly giving me clear signals.”

“I know. I didn’t want to ruin the whole friendship thing.”

“So much for that.” Kurt chuckles as they continue up to the next block. 

“I like to think that we didn’t lose that. We just enhanced it.” Blaine squeezes Kurt’s hand, feeling the impression of engagement and wedding bands against his own hand.

“Mhmm. Greatly enhanced.” Kurt looks over at him, his blue eyes a shade darker than usual. “Do you want to go home and enhance it some more?”

“I would love that but it’s going to be a long ride back. We should eat lunch somewhere first.”

“Ooh, how about we share a milkshake? That could be our other tradition after our bike rides.”

“Why, Kurt Hummel-Anderson, I believe you are the smartest man alive. That’s a great suggestion.”

“And now it’ll be a tradition.”

“Maybe it will.”

As they head down the next block toward a diner, Blaine thinks of all the memories they’ve created together through every season and the ones they’ll continue to make as they grow old together.

For both the good and the bad, he can’t wait.


	9. Rockstars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the help of some old Warbler buddies, Blaine rediscovers a former love he thought he had forgotten.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of course, I don't own Blaine, Kurt, any of the other characters mentioned, or the rights to any of the songs mentioned.

“Dude, we should get the band back together!” Nick, one of Blaine and Kurt’s old friends from Dalton exclaims after they’ve had a few drinks.

Blaine decided to invite a few of them, Nick, Jeff, Wes and Trent, to come to the city for a day or two. He figured it’d be a nice way to celebrate his marriage to Kurt since they didn’t get the opportunity to attend their actual wedding. Luckily, everyone was available and agreed to show up. Nick sat on the loveseat next to Jeff, while Wes took the recliner. Trent sat on the end of their new couch next to Kurt, who perched himself on Blaine’s lap.

Blaine is glad that they’re here and they get to enjoy each other’s company. Somehow he even convinced Kurt to buy some champagne and other spirits for the occasion. But now they all seem to be feeling the effects of them. Nick has always been enthusiastic and quick to speak; alcohol only fosters that quality further so Blaine corrects his earlier statement about a band.

He laughs. “Nick, we weren’t a band. We were a high school glee club.”

Kurt raises an eyebrow and turns to look at Blaine. “You would say that, honey, but we were practically a band. It was like you were Mr. Warbler and everyone else was your backup group, remember?”

Blaine blushes. “I’ll admit I was selfish. You made me see that. But everyone voted for me to have the solos. I couldn’t help that, until I decided to make one of them a duet.”

Kurt smirks at him. “Sure, bring up the day you told me about our first duet. Nice save to distract me from the mention of your rockstar ego.”

Of course, he meant the day of their first kiss; it really was an excuse to spend more time with him but it was also part of a realization that maybe he should share the lead with someone else. Kurt was the perfect person to balance him out vocally. It didn’t hurt that Blaine had realized his feelings then and that Kurt was perfect for him in every other way as well.

“You taught me that we needed to be a true team. All the Warblers were like rockstars, not just me,” Blaine says wisely.

“That would be a nice save if you let us audition and didn’t pick your boyfriend,” Jeff mutters around his beer bottle.

Nick pats his back. “They do make a great team. That’s what we’re really celebrating, right?”

“Right,” Trent echoes, raising his beer bottle. “Here, here. To Kurt and Blaine, always duetting. May you two make beautiful music together forever.”

Nick and Jeff raise their beers, too, while Wes, Blaine and Kurt, raise their wine glasses. 

Blaine’s heart swells with so much love for the toast they never got to have at their real reception, thanks to spontaneity of it all. He couldn’t regret that day, since he became Kurt’s husband, but it feels bittersweet, knowing that he and Kurt missed out on moments like this. He’s glad he’s got it now, though.

“Thank you. That was lovely, Trent,” Kurt tells him after a sip of his wine.

“I mean it. I saw Blaine’s face light up the day you met him and I knew you guys would be something special.”

“You could have told me that.” Blaine chuckles. “It would have saved so much time.”

“Probably.” Trent shrugs and smiles sheepishly. “But you got it right eventually.”

“Yes, he did,” Wes adds. “I’m so happy for you guys.”

“I guess I am too,” Jeff chimes. “Even if my solo wasn’t until that nursing home show after we lost Regionals.”

“So we all got our moments to shine,” Nick remarks. “Anyway, to piggyback on the whole beautiful music thing, what I meant earlier was that we should sing together again, even if it’s a much smaller group of us. Blaine, I hear it’s been a while for you.”

Blaine shifts in his seat despite having Kurt on his lap. “Um, yeah.”

“So, what better time to do it than now?” Nick asks.

“Exactly,” Jeff agrees. “We can put on an impromptu show down on Coney Island. I’ve always wanted to perform ‘Under the Boardwalk’ on an actual boardwalk. It would be perfect.”

“I don’t know.” Blaine blanches. “I’m a bit rusty.”

“We can do a few warmups before we take it public, if that makes you more comfortable,” Trent quietly suggests.

Blaine looks to Kurt. “Did you put them up to this?”

“I swear, this was not my idea. But it’s not a bad one,” Kurt answers and rubs at one of Blaine’s shoulders. “If you’re not ready, we don’t have to.”

“Please. We would be honored for you to lead us again,” Wes adds.

Kurt stares at Blaine and cups his cheeks. “You wouldn’t be hogging the spotlight this time. You’d be taking a piece of it back again. I’ve had many chances to shine since we were in the Warblers together and I’ll get so much more. You can have that, too, baby.”

Blaine swallows and blinks, his eyes watering as his heart bursts once more, this time at his husband’s unwavering belief in him. He nods and pecks Kurt on the lips despite everyone else in the room.

“Yes. Yeah, I’ll do it,” Blaine whispers as he rests his forehead against Kurt’s. “Thank you, Kurt.”

“You don’t need to thank me,” Kurt murmurs against Blaine’s mouth. “Your voice is still there. All you have to do is use it.”

“What are you two lovebirds chattering about?” Jeff yells. “Are we gonna do it or not, Warbler Blaine?”

“We’re doing it,” Blaine confirms, turning to the rest of the group. “Let’s practice.”

They rehearse some scales and sing a couple of their standard choices from back in high school. They sound decent together, even through their slight inebriation. Then when Blaine starts to sing a few more lines by himself, he coughs and his voice cracks.

Kurt takes his hand and squeezes it so Blaine tries again. Blaine sings in too high of a key for the song and sighs with frustration.

“You’re so talented. You’ve got this,” Kurt assures him. “This isn’t a competition. You have me. You have us. It’s for entertaining people and brightening their day. You know how to do this.”

“Yeah, Blaine you’re awesome! You’ll rock!” Nick adds. 

“We wouldn’t ask you if we didn’t think you could do it,” Trent says.

“We had a council and we worked as a group but you were our frontman and you carried a lot of weight,” Wes reminds him. “Though it’s been a long time, you’re one of the most talented guys I know and it would be an honor to do this one more time, for old time’s sake.” 

“You were the best, Blaine,” Jeff encourages. “There’s a reason you got all the solos for so long.”

Blaine remembers his time as a sophomore at Dalton, when the Warblers had put so much faith in him. It terrified him at first, like it does a bit now; he had been lacking confidence in the wake of Sadie Hawkins but then it grew, thanks to Dalton and the Warblers. He thrived academically, made new friends, and most notably, became a better singer. 

Somehow he lost his faith again when he lost Kurt after their engagement ended. He stopped singing competitively and rebuilt himself as a teacher. But with the support of Kurt and the rest of his friends, he realizes that there’s a survivor still inside him and he isn’t broken anymore.

“Well, I don’t want to brag, but I guess that’s true,” Blaine concedes.

Everyone goes quiet and Blaine sings, his voice smooth and near perfect, hitting every note.

Kurt praises him by kissing him on the cheek once he finishes. Blaine beams back at him.

Wes looks up the song on his phone and they listen to it over and over, until Blaine is close to comfortable with the lyrics again. They’re sort of familiar with it, since it was a classic choice for their nursing home gigs but they practice it several times to ensure perfection. After that, everyone agrees they’re ready for their impromptu performance.

“Alright then, let’s go,” Nick declares.

They pile into a subway car around sunset, Kurt and Blaine sharing one of their metro cards with their friends so they can get on. They sing a few lines of [“No Scrubs,”](https://youtu.be/owzQZCiUE0A) a song choice that Blaine side eyes but he goes with it, cheekily looking over at Kurt.

Kurt playfully shakes his finger during the line, _“A scrub is a guy that can’t get no love from me.”_ It feels fun, like the early days of his and Kurt’s friendship and relationship, before any of the turmoil that had separated them. Blaine definitely can still sing and he can do it with his husband and his oldest friends by his side.

Most passengers don’t give them a second glance, either staring into space, ignoring them, or reading a book. But an older woman next to Kurt claps and a boy who looks about four and is sitting near Jeff, claps as well.

“You tell ‘em, honey!” The woman says in a Southern accent, apparently cheering Kurt.

“It’s just a song. I’m actually married,” Kurt explains.

“Then you definitely don’t need no scrubs, darlin’. Good for you.”

Kurt grins at Blaine. “I like to think so.”

Jeff rolls his eyes. “You guys are still just as sappy as you were in school, you old marrieds.”

“Shut up,” Blaine chides and grabs Kurt’s hand. “We can still go back to the loft.”

“Ooh! I see,” the old woman remarks, nodding toward Kurt and Blaine. “God bless you two. You look very happy together.”

“Thank you, ma’am. We are.” Blaine preens and smiles brightly, earning an _“aww”_ from Trent.

Before the woman gets off on the next stop, she wishes them luck and tells them that maybe they should take that singing to a stage.

Soon enough, they sort of do that a few stops later when they exit the car and get off at Coney Island.

Jeff claps his hands once they’re on the boardwalk. “Okay, boys, let’s do this.”

Wes takes charge, counting to three.

[Blaine sings](https://youtu.be/MRQm7Yt77k0) the first few lines by himself with ease, and the rest of guys join in humming as backup during the first chorus.

_“On a blanket with my baby is where I’ll be,”_ Blaine croons, glancing over at his husband, who’s singing with the rest of the Warblers.

He’s so thankful that Kurt is willing to step back and support him in this endeavor; singing wouldn’t have been a huge feat for Blaine in the past, but now it seems monumental. He knows that Kurt realizes just how important this is to him; he loves Kurt that much more for giving him moments like this, where he can grow and feel accomplished once more. He hopes that he does the same for Kurt.

But for now, he focuses on the task at hand, delivering a great song to the people passing by. A guy tips his baseball cap at them, a woman gives them a thumbs up and an older gentleman stops and watches right around the second chorus. 

Blaine is glad that he doesn’t walk away when they reach the line, _“We’ll be falling in love,”_ and Blaine can’t stop himself from singing to Kurt. Still, Kurt flushes red as Blaine falls into charming performer mode.

As they continue, several more people gather around and by the time they finish, they gain applause from their small audience. 

“You boys should take that show on the road,” the old man praises. “That was one of the best renditions of ‘Under the Boardwalk’ that I’ve ever heard. Believe me, I’ve heard that song many, many times.”

“Well, thank you,” Kurt tells him. 

“The lead singer was exceptional,” the man says and turns to Blaine. “What’s your name, young man?”

“My name is Blaine, sir. Blaine Anderson.”

“I’m sure your name will be on a marquee one day.” The man shakes Blaine’s hand and then follows suit with the rest of them. “Maybe you all will be too. What a job well done.” 

The guys offers their thanks to the man, who walks toward the beach after he says goodbye.

“Guess you really are a rockstar.” Kurt rolls his eyes mockingly, but there’s no malice behind it. “Seriously, though, you were great, honey. If you want to do it as a career, you have my full support.”

“Mine too,” Wes agrees. 

The rest of them share similar sentiments and Blaine can’t help thinking about taking more concrete steps to work on performing again as a profession. His four friends pat him on the back before they head toward the subway and Kurt throws an arm around him.

Kurt definitely did help him make beautiful music again but so did their old buddies and for that, Blaine thinks, they all deserve the title of rockstar. 


	10. Rival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blaine makes a triumphant return to the stage. Well, sort of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This sort of follows "Sing"(Chapter 4) and "Rockstars" (Chapter 9). It's not absolutely necessary to read those to follow this but I'd appreciate it if you did.
> 
> Disclaimer: Of course, I don't own Blaine, Kurt, or the rights to the song mentioned.

“I don’t want to go, Kurt.” Blaine sighs from where he lies in bed next to Kurt after they wake up in the morning.

They plan on hitching a ride with one of their NYADA classmates to another classmate’s party at their parents’ beach house in the Hamptons. Blaine hadn’t seen any of these people since he flunked out so he kind of dreaded even going.

But Kurt reassures him. He yawns and scoots closer to Blaine. Then he cups Blaine’s cheek. “It’ll be okay, sweetheart. You just started singing again. We’ll perform a marvelous duet because I’m sure they’ll have a stage. We’ll blow those drama queens away. If they’re not impressed, well, we can go somewhere else. They don’t deserve us anyway.”

Blaine blinks against the touch. “You’re right. I love you.”

“Love you too.” Kurt kisses Blaine briefly. “Now let’s go get ready. I’ve got the perfect outfit in mind but I’d like your opinion.”

“I’m sure you can pick one out without me.”

“Yeah but I can model them for you. Besides, we can have some fun taking them off.” Kurt smirks.

Blaine licks his lips, his eyes flickering up and down Kurt’s body, shirtless and clad only in briefs. “I like the way you think. Maybe we should get a head start on that.”

“That is a wonderful idea,” Kurt remarks, pushing Blaine so that he was flat on his back. Then Kurt straddles his hips. “Let’s get started.”

\----

A couple of blowjobs, a shower, and a few outfits later, they’re ready to meet their friend downstairs. Actually, he’s more of an acquaintance than a friend. Blaine and Kurt decide to tag along with him because they don’t have a car in the city and well, it’s the Hamptons. Even if they don’t enjoy the people, they’ll enjoy the atmosphere of the shore and of course, each other. If that isn’t enough and they’re too uncomfortable, they’ll have to grin and bear it until they can get a ride back.

But first, they sit in the back of a car and endure two and a half hours of their classmate, Martin, gossiping about Erica from his and Kurt’s class on Shakespeare. 

Kurt sighs and whispers to Blaine, “Suddenly I understand why you didn’t want to go.”

“I know, but Kurt, it’s the Hamptons. We had to. I’ll get over it. Besides, there’s wine.”

“We’re going to need a lot of it,” Kurt remarks.

Soon enough, the car stops and Martin parks in front of the house. When they get out, they stand in awe, studying it. It’s practically a mansion, with two stories, huge windows and a perfectly manicured lawn.

“I’ve been here before a few times. There’s a pool in the back but the beach is only a few houses down the road,” Martin tells them.

“Wow. That’s amazing,” Blaine says in awe before he elbows Kurt in the side. “See, this is what the Hamptons are like. Plus we can go down to the beach.”

“Yeah. That might be nice,” Kurt replies.

Martin heads inside and they follow him. The interior is even more stunning than the outside; there are clean white walls in the entryway and when they reach the kitchen, they notice gray, expensive-looking countertops and stainless steel appliances. Various bottles of wine, beer and other types of alcohol line the kitchen island, along with delicious hors d’oeuvres of vegetables, fruits, cheese and crackers, and dishes that neither Kurt nor Blaine have ever seen before.

“Free food. We’re staying,” Kurt declares, grabbing a chunk of watermelon.

“I’m not arguing with that.”

Blaine finds the glasses on the kitchen counter and pours wine for both he and Kurt, while Martin is already mingling somewhere among the other guests. Blaine hands Kurt his glass and then reaches for a slice of tomato with basil and mozzarella. In the middle of chewing, someone that Blaine recognizes approaches them.

It’s Pierre, a student who’s the same year that Blaine would be if he was still attending. He’s tall and lean; his strength lies in dance, and yet somehow he excels in every class. That’s probably because he’s always kissing the professors’ asses. 

“Hello, Kurt, Blaine.” Pierre nods. “I see you’re both back from the middle of nowhere, Ohio and you still have your fashion sense. How was it?”

“Well, I saved my high school glee club from certain elimination and along with Blaine and Rachel, we won Nationals.” Kurt preens, taking Blaine’s free hand. “And I’ve always had my fashion sense, despite growing up in, as you call it, the middle of nowhere.”

“Wow. Color me impressed. I understand how you and Rachel might have lead a show choir to victory, but Blaine? How did he land that job?”

Anger courses through Blaine and he grips his wine glass tightly in an effort not to punch him or throw the drink in Pierre’s face. Instead he quietly swallows down his food.

Kurt squeezes Blaine’s hand and looks over at him. “He got into NYADA for a reason and if it weren’t for us joining our rival clubs together, we might not have succeeded. He’s more musically talented than you’ll ever be.”

“Thanks, honey,” Blaine says, joining the conversation and then turning his attention to Pierre. “Also, I’m right here. Anything you have to say, you can say to me and not to my husband.”

Pierre raises an eyebrow. “Husband? You two actually tied the knot after you ran back to Ohio with your tail between your legs?

“Yes, we are happily married and I’ve officially bounced back from that. I’m going to NYU in the fall and I’ve recently started singing again,” Blaine states proudly.

Pierre chuckles wryly. “I’ll believe that when I see it.”

“I’ll prove it to you right now,” Blaine claims. “Is there karaoke here?”

“It’s a NYADA party in the Hamptons.” Pierre scoffs. “Of course there is. It’s in the backyard.”

Blaine looks over at Kurt. “Care to join me, honey?”

“Gladly.” Kurt smiles.

Blaine whispers in Kurt’s ear the song he wants to do and Kurt nods. Though it’s not typically a duet and they’ve only sung it together a couple of times since it’s a new song that just came out, Blaine thinks that they could make it work.

They put their drinks down and head to the backyard, with Pierre trailing behind them. Then Blaine tells the DJ his song choice and is informed that there are a long list of participants ahead of him wanting to sing.

“Fine, I’ll wait,” Blaine offers politely.

But after two songs, including one horribly off-key version of “Baby One More Time” by a young woman they don’t recognize, Blaine nods to Kurt and mouths, _“Let’s go.”_ Blaine walks up to the girl and she hands him the microphone while Kurt asks him to play the song they agreed on next. The DJ agrees and hands him another microphone, the opening notes of Demi Lovato’s “Confident” blaring from the sound system.

_“Are you ready?”_ Blaine asks, which is the first line of the song. He stares down Pierre as he sings the first verse.

_“‘Cause this is my game, and you better come to play,”_ Blaine challenges, his eyes narrowing. He’s going to show Pierre that he still has it so he sings louder as the song goes.

_“But you’ve had me underrated, rated, rated,”_ Blaine sings and Kurt joins him in the chorus.

_“What’s wrong with being, what’s wrong with being, what’s wrong with being confident? Ah ah ha.”_

Their voices ring out as they strut across the open grass area serving as a makeshift stage. Pierre crosses his arms and rolls his eyes but they continue, Kurt taking over the second verse.

Then they both sing on the chorus and the crowd gathering outside claps along to the beat. The words of the chorus repeat once more and Kurt and Blaine stand along either side of Pierre, boldly singing into his face.

After the song ends, the party guests cheer them on, a few of them whistling, and there’s even a shout of, “You go boys!” 

Blaine crosses the small space over to Kurt and gives him a high five. 

Kurt praises in his ear, “I’m so proud of you. That was great.”

“I should’ve done a solo,” Blaine chides himself quietly. “But I’m glad you could back me up.”

They pull back from each other to take in Pierre, a look of mild annoyance on his face.

“I suppose that was pretty good,” Pierre admits, his attention on Blaine. “I’m sure it wasn’t because of you.”

“Oh, give it up.” Kurt huffs. “The crowd clearly disagreed. I also happened to hear that your last showcase performance was not received very well, so I don’t believe it’s your place to tell my husband how to perform. We’re going to have a show on Broadway one day and the only thing you’ll be doing in the future is dancing in Central Park, hoping that you make enough money to cover your rent.”

Blaine tries hard not to laugh in Pierre’s face. Instead he lifts his chin up and says, “That’s right. I was damn good out there. I owned that audience and when I’m on stage again, that’s what I intend to do, NYADA degree or not.”

Pierre uncrosses his arms, gulps, and then looks away. “Whatever. Have fun slumming it with this reject,” he tells Kurt before turning on his heel and heading back into the house.

“Don’t listen to him, B. You rocked it,” Kurt says. “You were amazing and you always will be.”

Blaine takes Kurt’s hand. “Thank you, baby. I appreciate the support.”

Kurt smiles. “Any time.”

“That was a fantastic burn by the way, Kurt.”

“Thanks. I’ve been saving that up ever since he came up to us and disrespected my fashion choices. Then he was his usual bitchy self to you and I just couldn’t help it. He deserved it.”

“That’s right. He did. I think we can drop the mics and go home.”

“I have to agree.”

They make their way back to the DJ and give the microphones back to him.

Blaine grins at Kurt. “But first, this calls for some champagne.”

Kurt finds some and pours glasses for them, congratulating Blaine on his next step in returning to performing. 

Blaine knows he still has to go back to school, audition for gigs and actually book them, but facing down an old foe tonight is a good sign that he’s prepared. If he can take on Pierre, he can take on New York City. And soon enough, he’ll take the world by storm.


	11. Performance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blaine gets his confidence back and reclaims his true passion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of course I don't own the characters or the song mentioned but I've had a lot of fun with them.

_“And something great is coming,”_ Blaine sings to the roaring crowd. _“Who knows? It’s only just out of reach, down the block, on a beach. Maybe tonight. Maybe tonight. Maybe tooonight...”_

He stretches out the last note, his voice soaring loud and high from where he stands on the outdoor stage. People are chanting his name as he takes a bow and he glances over at Kurt, who’s applauding and beaming at him from the wings.

A female-sounding voice announces who he is. _“That was Blaine Anderson-Hummel performing, concluding his set with ‘Something’s Coming’ from ‘West Side Story.’ You can see him this fall, along with Kurt Hummel-Anderson, in--”_

Blaine jolts awake with a start, now aware that he was in bed and it was all a dream. He sighs with disappointment that his dream didn’t tell him what show he would star in or why he was singing on a stage again. He guesses he was at a concert full of Broadway stars, where he performed a few songs. Maybe it was one of those benefit concerts where some of the proceeds supports arts programs in city schools; he might have been debuting at it to promote his new play co-starring Kurt. Maybe this dream will come true and he will star in a play one day, alongside his husband. Maybe it’s one that they wrote together.

As he looks over at Kurt, who’s still sleeping beside him, he can’t wait to find out. He turns on his side and scoots over to plant a kiss to Kurt’s shoulder. But he doesn’t wake him up. Instead he rolls over and gets up to make breakfast.

He pours the coffee beans into the machine and hums “Something’s Coming,” which is stuck in his head after that amazing dream. Then he grabs the mugs from the cabinet and places them on the counter near the coffee pot. He takes a couple of slices of bread and puts them in the toaster. While the bread cooks, he retrieves a pan and sets it on the stove. He takes some butter and lines the pan with it before turning on the burner. While he crosses the room to grab the eggs from the refrigerator, he smells the coffee in the air and figures Kurt will be up soon.

He cracks a couple of eggs into the pan and tosses the shells in the trash with a smile. He sings under his breath just in case Kurt isn’t awake yet.

_“Could it be? Yes it could! Something’s coming, something good. If I can wait!”_

The bread pops up from the toaster and he gets a plate, continuing to sing the song he auditioned for “West Side Story” with back in high school. He speeds up the tempo according to the song.

 _“Something’s coming. I don’t know what it is, but it is, gonna be great!”_

He butters the bread as he sings and then shifts to the stove, checking out the eggs. After that, he quickly stirs them with a wooden spoon to scramble them.

_“With a click, with a shock. Phone’ll jingle, door’ll knock...”_

He goes on singing and puts more bread in the toaster.

_“Around the corner...”_

He turns back to the stove and shuts off the burner. Then he spins around and startles in surprise because Kurt is standing in front of him. He stops singing and greets Kurt with a kiss.

“Oh! Good morning, hon!” Blaine exclaims. “Sorry. Didn’t see you there.”

“Don’t stop on my account. It’s nice to hear you singing around the house again.” Kurt grins. “I would have let you finish but I smelled coffee.”

“I thought that would get you out of bed.” He squeezes Kurt’s hips briefly before moving toward the toaster. “I made scrambled eggs and there’s some toast ready.”

“Thank you, dear.” Kurt walks across the room after kissing Blaine on the cheek. “To what do I owe that impromptu performance, by the way?”

Blaine looks over his shoulder briefly to find Kurt pouring out two cups of coffee. Then Blaine butters the toast after it pops out of the toaster.

“Oh, um, thank you, too,” he says as he takes out another plate and Kurt prepares their coffee. “I just--I had a really great dream last night.”

Blaine dishes out eggs on his and Kurt’s plates to go along with the toast already there.

Kurt sits down at the kitchen table with his cup of coffee and slides Blaine’s mug over to his side. 

“Oh, really? Do tell, B!”

Blaine joins him, sitting down with his plate of food after he gives Kurt his breakfast.

Blaine revels in the scent of the coffee as he picks up the mug and inhales. Then he takes a sip and swallows before answering.

“I sang ‘Something’s Coming’ to this huge crowd. I think it was outside in Times Square. But that wasn’t even the best part. You were there, cheering me on. I think you might have even been performing too. And whoever was hosting said that we were starring in a play together. Then I woke up before she could say what it was.”

“Wow! That’s great, honey! That would definitely be a dream come true if I got to star alongside you,” Kurt comments after he took a bite of eggs.

“And if we got to perform songs both individually and together outside of Broadway to benefit charity. We’d get to rub elbows with elite stage actors and know that the proceeds from the event would go to a good cause. We’d be supporting arts education while showcasing our talent and promoting our show. It would be perfect.”

“Like I said, it would be pretty amazing, in every aspect.”

“Between the encouragement, the singing on the boardwalk, and the karaoke, I know I’m ready for whenever it happens, Kurt. This is what I want to do.”

“Good. I’m glad that you’re back on track, baby. And I’ll be right there with you.”

Blaine takes another sip of coffee and a bite of toast before he grabs Kurt’s hand across the table.

“I wouldn’t want it any other way,” Blaine assures him.

Though Blaine knows that he can stand on his own, he also knows that much like most things in his life, he’d prefer to have Kurt by his side. If his dreams are a reflection of that, then in a way, they’ve already come true. But given reality and how far they both have to go, they’ll realize even more dreams and the best is yet to come. 


	12. Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thunderstorms scare Blaine, and for a very good reason. Warnings: Panic attack, mentions of assault, homophobia, bullying, mention of ghosts.

Blaine turns his key in the door and walks into a dark, empty apartment, since Kurt is still out, working a double shift at the diner. He sighs and shakes out his umbrella, drenched from the rain. So is the rest of him, due to the heavy winds whipping through the air as he walked from the subway to their building. After he closes the door, he sets the umbrella in an empty trash can by the door, placed there because Blaine heard that there was a chance for thunderstorms and Kurt did not want Blaine tracking water all over the floor. Blaine had enough problems with leaving wet towels on the floor that he wasn’t going to make it an issue again (not to mention the pipes had just been fixed a few months ago and Blaine couldn’t blame it on that anymore).

He chuckles, hearing Kurt’s voice in his head, chiding him to take his damn shoes off too. They really were verging on old married couple even if they were only married less than a year. He leaves his shoes by the door, puts his keys on the counter, and flicks the kitchen light on. Then he grabs a bottle of water and drinks nearly half of it in one swig. He puts it away after that, leaving the light on so Kurt can see when he comes in. 

He walks down the hall to the bedroom in his bare feet and strips off his clothes, throwing them in the laundry bin. The apartment is sticky but he takes a warm shower just to relax and wash out whatever remnants of products are still in his hair. It’s not as nice as when Kurt washes his hair but he learned a long time ago that everything is better with Kurt. 

So after his shower, he changes into his pajamas and sits on the couch. He turns the lamp on in the living room area and watches a show from the DVR while he waits for Kurt to get home. His eyes flicker shut a few times and he thinks he hears a crack of thunder, though it could just be the creaky door from the floor below them or any number of loud noises from the street. Then he jumps awake when he sees a flash outside the window that’s most likely lightning. He wants to curl up under a blanket, preferably with his husband, but it’s too damn hot and Kurt still isn’t home. He hopes Kurt’s shift ends soon and that he makes it home safe and dry. He thinks of texting Kurt, though he probably won’t see it right away, especially if he’s already on the subway. So Blaine bears the storm by himself, another harsh crack of lightning streaking the sky. He gets halfway through the third episode of the final season of “Downton Abbey,” trying to catch up to where Kurt left off without him when he fell asleep early one night.

And then a loud clap of thunder sounds, along with the door clicking open during a particularly quiet scene in the show. He startles again and looks up, relief washing over him when he realizes that it’s Kurt.

Blaine smiles from his spot on the couch. “You’re home.”

“Of course I am. Where else would I be?” Kurt answers, throwing his umbrella in the can beside Blaine’s, toeing his shoes off by the door and setting his keys on the counter.

“It’s pouring out there. I was just a little worried about you.”

“I was probably more worried about you,” Kurt said, crossing the room and then joining Blaine on the couch. “I know how you get during storms.”

Blaine chuckles wryly, his eyes on the television screen. “You didn’t grow up with a brother terrorizing you on dark and stormy nights like this. When I was little, he would jump out at me and pretend to be a monster. And one time he warned me that ghosts like this weather because all the energy in the air allows them to manifest. I didn’t know what manifest meant then but I lied in bed and threw the sheets over my head, hoping they wouldn’t see me.”

“You told me that several times, honey. Siblings can be jerks.” He kisses Blaine’s cheek. “Hello, by the way.”

Blaine turns and kisses him properly on the mouth. “Hello to you too, baby. Come snuggle with me. I’m still afraid just thinking about it.”

Kurt wraps an arm around him and rests his head against Blaine’s shoulder. “I’d love to, but only for a little while. I need a shower, B. I have to get the smell of French fries off of me.”

Blaine sniffs Kurt’s shirt. “All I smell is a little sweat. That’s not too bad.”

“I still want to shower. You’ll be okay by yourself for a bit. Besides, I’ve watched this whole episode,” he comments, gesturing to the screen. “I can’t see it again.”

Then Kurt takes off down the hall toward their bedroom.

“Well, thanks for leaving me with that cryptic information,” Blaine calls after him sarcastically.

“You’re welcome,” Kurt yells.

Blaine faintly hears the water turn on in the bathroom after a few minutes. While Kurt is in there showering and moisturizing, four more flashes of lightning catch Blaine’s eye, each followed by thunder.

“K--K--Kurt,” Blaine screams nervously.

The bathroom door creaks open and Kurt answers. “I’ll be out in a second. Then we can go to bed, okay?”

“‘Kay,” Blaine tells him right before the sky lights up again. “Can you come here first?”

“Sure, hon. Just hold on for a little while longer.”

“Alright.”

He’s almost to the end of the episode while Kurt is still in the bathroom about ten minutes later. He wants to finish it so they can head to sleep or at least cuddle a bit as the storm hopefully dies down.

But then there’s one more clap of thunder and a huge flash before the entire room goes pitch black. The light coming from the bathroom disappears too.

“Shit,” Kurt curses from down the hall and sighs.

Blaine grabs the blanket from the back of the couch and clutches it, fear coursing through him. He knows rationally that nothing is there and he won’t get hurt if he tries to get up or even if he stays where he is. Still, fear courses through him, especially in those first few seconds of darkness when he can’t make out anything around him. 

“Kurt! Kurt, come here,” Blaine barely manages, blinking but still seeing nothing.

“Alright, I’m still here, baby. Everything is going to be okay. Just take three long deep breaths and I’ll get over there.”

“O--Okay.”

Blaine tries to follow Kurt’s instructions but his breaths come shallow and his chest feels tight. So he closes his eyes, attempting to remind himself where he is and that Kurt will be with him soon. His heartbeat quickens and his body freezes. He’s alone and he remembers wet, cold pavement against his back while he stared at the pitch black sky, rain beating down on him as he wondered if help would even come. The slurs and laughter echo through his head and he’s a scared teenager back at that high school dance.

A light shines a foot away from him and Blaine jolts back to reality as it gets closer.

“Wh--Huh?” Blaine looks toward the tiny light.

“I said, ‘Are you okay?’ Where did you go then?” A familiar voice asks.

He breathes out, almost calm again as he realizes it’s Kurt and he’s here. He’s safe in an apartment in New York. He won’t get injured, not here, as long as he stays where he is.

“I’m here. I’m safe,” Blaine repeats out loud over and over as his therapist instructed whenever this happens. He’s learned how to manage his panic attacks so he doesn’t get like this too often anymore, only if he’s stressed and certain triggers arise. 

“Yes. You are.” Kurt’s voice registers from somewhere beside him as a weight dips at the end of the couch that’s furthest from where Blaine sits. “Whatever you saw, it isn’t real, not anymore. You’re okay. You’re here. You’re safe. And you’re not alone, sweetheart. You don’t have to be. I’m always here.”

Blaine finally gains control of his breathing again and squeezes Kurt’s hand tight. “I’m here. You’re here. I love you,” Blaine declares. “I hate storms.”

“I know.” Kurt kisses Blaine’s hand. “I know it’s not just because of your brother. I remember the issue you have with storms.”

They had talked about what he went through at the Sadie Hawkins dance back when he first started dating Kurt, and he had a few tense nights when Kurt was assaulted, but Blaine hasn’t mentioned it much since.

“I’m not ready to move yet,” Blaine finally replies.

“We don’t have to,” Kurt says. “Can I, um, can I get closer to you now?”

“Yeah. Yes.”

After a few long, solemn moments, Kurt speaks.

“You can talk about it later if you want.” Kurt curls up on the couch and hugs Blaine’s shoulders, covering the tiny light that Blaine figures is from Kurt’s phone. “We can camp out here on the couch tonight or we could build a fort--”

“Out of sheets?” Blaine interrupts and laughs.

Kurt laughs out loud too, and the leftover tension escapes Blaine’s body.

“I should have seen that coming,” Kurt remarks. “I was going to say that we could keep using my phone as a flashlight and bring the kitchen chairs over to build a blanket fort. We can camp under that until morning or until the power comes back on.”

“As awesome as that sounds, how about we just sit here for a little while? Then we can go to bed.”

“Okay.”

Kurt adjusts himself on the couch, sitting up against the arm while Blaine settles his back against Kurt’s chest. Eventually, Blaine scoots down, burying his head in Kurt’s chest and listening to his heartbeat. He inhales deeply, the smell of the body wash they both use permeating his senses and grounding him. They stay there for hours until the storm breaks and daylight peeks through the window. 

Blaine’s nearly asleep, with a crick in his neck from sitting all curled up for so long when Kurt gently taps his shoulder.

“Do you want to go to bed, B?” Kurt asks quietly.

After Blaine blinks awake and stretches out, he says, “Yes, please.”

Kurt yawns and stretches too before leading Blaine down the hall slowly. Blaine reminds himself that maybe his fears can never completely go away. Sometimes, they’ll resurface but he’ll be okay as long as he acknowledges them. He’s glad that Kurt is here too and has educated himself on the effects of trauma, not only for Blaine but for himself. They can support each other and with that, they can weather any storm. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had so much fun participating in this challenge and I would love to revisit this 'verse. If anyone has prompts or anything they want me to expand on from these little stories, please let me know! :)


End file.
